Islamabad, May 1: Pakistan’s rising tennis talent Muhammad Shoaib produced a major upset at the ITF Men’s Futures M-15 (Leg-1), defeating Sweden’s world No. 483 Leo Borg in a thrilling three-set encounter to secure a place in the semifinals at the PTF Tennis Complex.Backed by an enthusiastic home crowd, Shoaib showed resilience and composure after dropping the opening set 4–6.
He bounced back strongly in the second set, dominating with aggressive baseline play to win 6–2 and level the match.The decisive third set turned into a tense battle, with both players holding serve and pushing the contest into a tiebreak. Shoaib raised his level at the crucial moment, overpowering Borg 7–1 in the tiebreak to seal a memorable 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 victory.The win marks one of the biggest upsets of the tournament and highlights Shoaib’s growing promise on the international stage, keeping Pakistan’s hopes alive in the singles event.In the men’s doubles, Pakistan achieved a historic milestone as all finalists will be from the host nation.
In the first semifinal, Aqeel Khan and Barkatullah defeated Essa Qabazard of Kuwait and Malaysia’s Darshan Suresh 6–4, 5–7, 10–7. In the second semifinal, M. Abid Ali Akbar Khan and Muzammil Murtaza overcame Russia’s Alexey Dubinin and Ivan Iutkin 6–4, 6–2.President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, praised the players for their outstanding performances, calling the results a reflection of steady progress in national tennis. He noted that Pakistani players reaching the singles semifinal and an all-Pakistan doubles final signals a strong revival of the sport in the country.
PTF Secretary General Col. Zia-ud-Din Tufail also commended the players, emphasizing the federation’s continued commitment to grassroots development and international exposure.The singles semifinals and doubles final are scheduled to be played on Saturday, starting at 9:00 am.
